SoCal Future Soldier Training Event Engenders Family Support Story and photos by David A. Salazar, USAREC SoCal BattalionMay 6, 2015 Nearly 200 young men and women clad in Army green t-shirts swarmed Del Mar Beach on Camp Pendleton late last month. With parents and friends cheering them on, the young patriots participated in a litany of tasks to prepare them for the rigors of basic training. Teams of Future Soldiers from across Southern California competed in relay races, tire flips, drill and ceremony gauntlets, and a tug-of-war. "You should all be extremely proud of your decisions to serve your country in the best Army in the world," said Lt. Col. Michael Johns, Southern California Battalion commander. "We're going to have fun, we're going to compete, and we're going to make sure you have all the tools you need to succeed before you begin your Army careers." Sgt. 1st Class Victor Castelli said events that bring Future Soldiers and family members together instill a sense of pride and belonging. "I think these events are always good. We do our quarterly events at the company level, but these larger events coordinated by the battalion are great," Castelli said. "We're out on a beach site in sunny San Diego. You can't beat this. I think these are necessary events." Louisa and Richard Gopez’s son, Allen has never been away from his family, so being allowed to attend the event helped alleviate some minor concerns they had about Allen leaving for basic training. "It's scary at first," Louisa said. "But now, especially that we saw how everyone got along, we're really good with boot camp now." "I think [parents] should come to an event like this because you see the camaraderie, you see the teamwork and you see how all the people act as one big family and it's a good support system," Richard said. "That puts us at ease even more knowing that [my son] has all this support with him. I think he sees that, too. "It's been really good," said Richard. "Sgt. 1st Class Castelli, had answered a lot of our questions, but we're happy that we came here today because we had even more questions answered. We're a little more at ease and comfortable with what the process is going to be soon, after having come here." The couple is proud and supportive of path their son has chosen to take. Allen enlisted as an optical laboratory technician and will ship to basic training in July. “It's the first time that we really saw in our son that he had some motivation and goals," Richard said. "So we're really happy he made that decision."

Future Soldiers from San Diego Company rally around trophy, held by their recruiters, after winning SoCal Battalion’s Mega Future Soldier Training event April 25.